1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for anchoring a kayak in shallow water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fishing is a popular sport, and this popularity has prompted the development of many fishing aids designed to assist the fisherman. Fishermen frequently need to maintain the position of their boats, and various techniques have been developed which purport to assist the fisherman in that regard. Such techniques are, for example, disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0207489; U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,016; U.S. Pat. No. 3,238,912; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,376.
Kayaking and kayak fishing have grown in popularity in recent years, and since the kayak is a lightweight craft, winds and currents may often cause the kayak to drift away from a desired position. It is often essential, therefore, that the kayak operator (whether fisherman or photographer) be able to anchor his or her kayak at a particular location. Anchoring systems for kayaks have, however, been quite rustic and have consisted for the most part of a weight attached to a rope which the kayak operator drops into the water near the seat of the kayak to anchor the kayak. These weights tend to be noisy when deployed and such noise tends to scare away the fish or other wildlife in the vicinity of the kayak. Also, such weights tend to be bulky and cumbersome to use.
It is often advantageous to be able to anchor a boat both at the bow and the stern of the boat, and this would be especially true in the case of a lightweight kayak. Developing a suitable system for anchoring a kayak both at the bow and the stern is complicated by the fact that the operator of a kayak must remain seated or run the very substantial risk of capsizing the kayak, if the operator were to attempt a move from the seat of the kayak to another position on the kayak.
A system which allows a kayak operator to anchor the kayak either at the bow or the stern of the kayak or both and to do so from the seat of the kayak using only one hand would be desirable. This new and useful result has been achieved by the anchoring system of the present invention.